Feb. 9, 2024

Rep. Burns Applauds United Employees for Services They Provide to Community

Lawmaker Praises Employees’ Commitment to Exceptional Service, Value to Membership.

BURLESON—Texas State Rep. DeWayne Burns, R-District 58 (Johnson and Somervell counties), today addressed employees of United Cooperative Services, thanking them for their commitment to providing reliable, competitively priced electricity as well as for the co-op’s internet project, which has brought high-speed internet to areas that were either underserved or unserved by other internet providers.

“Electric cooperatives, such as United, play a vital role in the lives of the communities that they serve,” Burns said. “I came here to thank you for that and say that I’m proud of the work that you do on behalf of your members each day.”

During the event, Burns presented an update on the 2023 legislative session and discussed his support of HB 4246, which passed during the last session.

Each year, cooperatives relinquish unclaimed funds, such as United’s member dividends, to the state of Texas. The state allows cooperatives to use a portion of those unclaimed funds for scholarships, rural economic development and energy-efficiency assistance. The passage of HB 4246 increased the amount of unclaimed money that co-ops can use to fund these programs to 50 percent of the total reported in a given year, which returns more funds for United to support local community efforts. 

“It is great to work with our elected officials, like Representative Burns, to be able to consider and support local issues that affect the members of the cooperative and the communities we serve” said Cameron Smallwood, CEO of United.

Involvement in the political process is vital to keeping the values of electric co-ops front and center before our elected officials, Smallwood said.

“We work hard to develop relationships with our representatives by meeting with them regularly,” Smallwood said. “It’s important to make them aware of how proposed legislation could affect our members. United’s participation regularly shows legislators that we are engaged in the political process, and that we want to ensure our members’ best interests are included when the representatives make decisions that affect us all.”

About United Cooperative Services:

Established in 1938 and headquartered in Burleson, Texas, United Cooperative Services is an electric distribution cooperative serving more than 100,00 meters and more than 72,000 members.  Maintaining 11,000 miles of energized line, United serves parts of Johnson, Erath, Hood, Bosque, Somervell, Palo Pinto, Coryell, Eastland, Comanche, Stephens, Young, Hamilton, Tarrant and Ellis counties.

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Sept. 18, 2023

United Cooperative Services Connects 20,000th Member with High-Speed Internet

Forging ahead at warp speed, United’s high-speed internet project connects its members at a record-setting pace to educational and economic growth, improved standard of living.

BURLESON—After starting from scratch in 2020 and forging ahead at a record-setting pace, United Cooperative Services announced the connection of its 20,000th subscriber to its high-speed internet.

United reached the milestone in only 38 months after connecting its first high-speed internet subscribers. The co-op joined seven other co-ops that have achieved the “20,000 members” mark for high-speed internet subscribers, according to the August Co-ops Connect Bulletin: Electric Cooperative Broadband News. Only two others are listed as having achieved 30,000 internet subscribers.

“We are so pleased to begin filling the internet void so many of our members have experienced for so long,” said Cameron Smallwood, United CEO. “On top of that, we have done so remarkably fast. This project exemplifies the very core of our existence, which was to bring a vital service available only in densely populated areas to rural people. Here we are, 85 years after bringing electricity to our area, doing the same thing again with high-speed internet.”

Following an overwhelming “yes” vote by co-op members in 2019, United’s board of directors and leadership decided to deploy high-speed internet to its underserved membership in the same spirit that electricity was extended across the same area during the days of the Rural Electrification Act of the 1930s.

United is one of a handful of Texas electric distribution cooperatives currently providing high-speed internet to members, according to the cooperative’s statewide trade association, Texas Electric Cooperatives. The majority of United’s service territory arguably lies within an internet desert, according to the National Broadband Needs Map drawn by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

Clay Turner, United’s outside plant manager, oversees the building of the cooperative’s high-speed internet system. He said he’s proud of the progress United has made to reach 20,000 internet users in such a short period of time.
Providing United members with a world-class internet experience is not only what Turner said his job is all about, it’s also the reward for the hard work he and the rest of the United employees put in every day. The current system consists of more than 6,000 miles of fiber-optic line and is growing daily, he said. What took more than 80 years to build for electric distribution is projected to take only six to seven for the fiber-to-the-premises deployment.

“There are hundreds of people, including multiple contractors and United employees, working on this project,” Turner said. “And it really took everybody working together to get us where we got as quickly as we did. We started in March 2020. In three and a half years, we built over 6,000 miles of fiber. We’ve connected over 20,000 members. It’s truly remarkable how quickly we’ve constructed this, and it’s working. It’s reliable.

“Everybody’s excited, and it’s really changing people’s lives. That’s probably one of the biggest takeaways I’ve personally gotten from this is just how much we’ve changed people’s lives.”

Standing shoulder to shoulder with United on its broadband project is the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (NRTC). NRTC has provided United with state-of-the art GIS-based electronic designs, network management, and construction and project management.

The organization is a member-owned cooperative, and the success of its members, such as United, is NRTC’s mission, said Tim Bryan, NRTC’s CEO.

“All of us at NRTC salute Cameron Smallwood and the team at United for this tremendous achievement,” Bryan said. “We are proud to be a partner with United, and we look forward to celebrating more milestones in the future.”

Watch the video about United’s 20,000^th subscriber here: https://youtu.be/kUNvwHb-bpg

Nov. 18, 2022

Cardin, Castleberry Set to Serve United’s Board of Directors

Following addition of online voting, members select one incumbent, one new member.

BURLESON—During this year’s virtual Annual Meeting held today (Nov. 18), officials announced that United members again selected incumbent Ed Cardin to represent District 6 (Granbury Area and Northeastern Hood County). Mark Castleberry will now represent District 7 (Northwestern Erath County and Lingleville).

Castleberry won against incumbent Larry Bays, who has served on the board since 1983. United’s director terms are for three years.

“As a democratically run organization, United’s members have a voice in selecting board leadership,” said United CEO Cameron Smallwood. “We thank Larry Bays for his 39 years of service and countless contributions to making United a notable success story in Texas, and we also welcome Mark Castleberry to the table and look forward to bringing him on board. United’s directors are instrumental in United’s success in providing safe, reliable and affordable electric distribution service as well as high-speed internet service to our membership. I look forward to Ed and Mark’s leadership, as well as the continued contributions by United’s entire board of directors, as we continue to work hard to continue our internet buildout and provide our members with exceptional service and value.”

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July 8, 2022

United Warns Members to Prepare for Hot Weekend, Week

Extreme heat translates into higher electricity usage, bills and could stress grid.

BURLESON—With weekend temperatures forecast to pass the century mark across Texas, United Cooperative Services reminds members and all Texas electrical consumers that today’s higher energy prices coupled with a constantly running air conditioner could burn more energy dollars than they expect as they try to beat the heat.

United CEO Cameron Smallwood encouraged members and the general public to be even more vigilant in determining ways to control their energy usage to mitigate stress on the electric grid and to control their energy costs.

“When we encounter the extremely hot weather during an extended period like we’re experiencing now and into next week, we urge members to take measures to manage their energy use,” Smallwood said. “During extreme weather events when temperatures are so hot, air conditioners run almost continuously. With forecasts showing the potential for 100-plus degrees in the coming days, demand on the state’s electric grid is expected to set a new record peak usage. Everyone needs to be prepared for the small possibility of rotating outages mandated by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) in order to keep the grid stable due to high peak loads and low expected wind generation.”

In the summer, air conditioning is responsible for the largest part of a typical electric bill because weather is the number one driver of energy consumption. Regardless if someone is at home or away during the day, weather dictates energy consumption.

“If a thermostat is at 70 degrees and it’s 100, 90 or even 80 outside, it’s going to affect the temperature in your home and trigger the air conditioner to turn on, even if you are not there,” Smallwood said. “The hotter it is outside, the harder your air conditioner has to work to overcome the outside temperature, and that compounds energy consumption. Even highly efficient homes may not keep up when temperatures outside pass 100 and above, and that could shock homeowners when they receive their bill and discover they’ve used more electricity than normal.”

United is committed to helping its members waste less energy and control their energy costs. During these unusually hot and dry times, everyone is encouraged to be vigilant in managing their energy use to control their electric bills and protect the grid.

April 18, 2022

United Cooperative Services Connects 10,000th Member with High-Speed Internet

Emulating the Rural Electrification Act of long ago, United’s high-speed internet project will promote educational and economic growth, as well as improve the standard of living for its membership.

BURLESON— United Cooperative Services recently connected their 10,000th member with high-speed internet despite formidable regional, national and global challenges faced by all businesses in the last two years.

United is one of a handful Texas electric distribution cooperatives currently providing high-speed internet to members, according to the cooperative’s statewide trade association, Texas Electric Cooperatives. The majority of United’s service territory arguably lies within an internet desert, according to the National Broadband Needs Map drawn by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

“We are so pleased to begin filling the internet void so many of our members have experienced for so long,” said Cameron Smallwood, United CEO. “On top of that, we have done so in a remarkably fast time because we see the urgency. The COVID-19 pandemic only magnified why fast, reliable internet is now a requirement in today’s world. That’s one of many reasons why we have worked so hard to bring high-speed internet to 10,000 of our members. This project exemplifies the very core of our existence, which was to bring a utility available only in densely populated areas to rural people. Here we are, 83 years later, doing the same thing again.”

Following an overwhelming “yes” vote by co-op members in 2019, leadership at the 84-year-old electric cooperative decided to deploy high-speed internet to its underserved membership in the same spirit that electricity was extended across the same area during the days of the Rural Electrification Act of the 1930s.

Marcellus Nixon, United vice president of internet services and the internal architect of United’s growing network, said the co-op’s high-speed service is so popular that adjustments had to be made earlier than projected to meet bandwidth demand.

The current system consists of 3,200 miles of fiber-optic line and is growing daily, he said. What took 80 years to build for electric is projected to take only five years for the internet deployment.

“United’s members will no longer be on the outside looking in, and the communities United serves will prosper from the delivery of this life altering service,” he said. “The impact will be the same as the impact that our cooperative predecessors made by bringing electricity to rural America. United will not stop at 10,000 active members. This project will continue until every member within United’s territory has the opportunity to have fast, reliable, and affordable internet service. We are building a better and brighter world for our members, and we plan to bring our members the world at the speed they need.”

Interview/Visual Opportunities include:

• Interview opportunity with Marcellus Nixon
• Interview opportunity with United CEO Cameron Smallwood
• Interview opportunity with the Fogarty family of Godley, the 10,000^th  activation
• Shots/images of crews hanging line, using lashing machine to affix fiber cables to steel lines
• Interview opportunity with employees at the Alvarado branch of Tesmec, an international earth-moving machine firm based in Italy that recently signed up for internet service

Feb. 11, 2022

Rep. Rogers Addresses United Cooperative Services Employees
Lawmaker Lauds Participation in the Government Process

STEPHENVILLE -Texas State Rep. Glenn Rogers, R-District 60 (Brown, Callahan, Coleman, Eastland, Shackelford, Stephens, Palo Pinto, and Hood counties) addressed employees of United Cooperative Services as keynote speaker during a Rural Friends/ACRE event at the electric cooperative’s Stephenville office.

For more than 40 years, electric co-op employees and members have played pivotal roles in improving the quality of life and securing a better future for the cooperative program—and the members who benefit from it—by supporting the Action Committee for Rural Electrification (ACRE). In Texas, the political action committee (PAC) is known as Rural Friends/ACRE and serves as a major vehicle for helping candidates interested in protecting and strengthening the cooperative business model get elected to office. United Cooperative Services employees and members have been some of the most active players in the PAC and today celebrated their privilege to participate in the governmental process.

“As a member of this cooperative, I admire the work each of you do for members every day, but I also very much appreciate both the co-op’s and your participation and contributions to Rural Friends/ACRE. Rural Texans have always struggled historically to obtain fair representation, and a voice in legislative affairs. I couldn’t have been elected as your representative without the support you and other rural interest groups provided to me in that effort,” Rogers said.

Additionally, Rogers said that despite all the challenges faced by the Texas Legislature, he felt much was accomplished in the last legislative session, including needed reform within Texas’ electric market to ensure future sustainability and reliability across Texas’ electric grid.

“The Winter Storm Uri event we experienced a year ago was unexpected, unprecedented and devastating. It opened our eyes to a potential we had not envisioned,” he said. “But Texans don’t need a permission slip from Washington, D.C., nor any federal regulatory oversight for how to run our state, or our electric industry. Thanks to frontline workers like you, and along with improvements and reforms already made within the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the Texas grid not only survived, but thrived when we endured another round of bitterly cold weather recently,” he said.

Rogers, a veterinarian, and a rancher who owns and operates the Holt River Ranch near Graford along with his legislative responsibilities, added that the fact ERCOT weathered the latest arctic front without the reliability problems faced during last year’s weather event should reflect improvements have already been made, and that the immense bipartisan effort to make reforms within ERCOT have been successful.

“We still need to make more improvements, we’ve still got more work to do, but we’re making strides,” he said.

Involvement in the political process is vital to keeping the values of electric co-ops front and center before our elected officials, said Cameron Smallwood, CEO of United.

“Our participation in Rural Friends/ACRE, along with our board of directors and those members who contribute are examples of how to be active in the political process,” Smallwood said. “We work very hard to develop relationships with our representatives by meeting with them regularly. It’s important to make them aware of the result to our members that some future legislation may have. It’s also important to assist organizations such as Rural Friends/ACRE in their outreach efforts by voluntarily donating. United’s participation regularly shows legislators that we are engaged in the political process, and that we want to ensure our members’ best interests are included when the representatives make decisions that affect us all.”

This year, United’s Rural Friends/ACRE membership stands at 294. Members include United’s board of directors, employees, their spouses and co-op members, who have pledged nearly $15,000 in contributions this year, demonstrating how important the political process is in protecting electric cooperatives and the services they provide their members, he said.

The PAC is open to all people with an interest in preserving their local electric cooperative and promoting the progress and growth of co-ops and the communities they serve. 

“Electric cooperatives and their members need representation like that provided by Rep. Rogers in the Legislature who understand the important issues affecting rural electric co-ops and who will fight for electric co-op consumers,” Smallwood said. “Rural Friends/ACRE gives us that delivery platform and lawmakers like Rep. Rogers provide us the means to convey our message,” he said.

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July 28, 2021

United Announces Names of 2021’s 17 Scholarship Recipients

BURLESON—United Cooperative Services announced the names of 17 area member-students who shared $51,000 in the electric co-op’s scholarship awards this year.

A panel of independent judges across United’s service territory determined winners based on various criteria and accomplishments. Each student chosen received a $3,000 scholarship award this year.

“United takes great pride in the communities we serve,” said CEO Cameron Smallwood. “One of the important ways that we give back to those communities is through the co-op’s scholarship program. Education is key to providing a better future for everyone, and we are proud to invest in the lives of our members by offering this sort of assistance to deserving students.”

The 2021 scholarship award program awarded $45,000 in scholarships to 15 students who are members or dependents of members of the cooperative, with scholarships valued at $3,000 each. Additionally, the board also approved including two 2021 Youth Tour recipients as scholarship contest winners after COVID-19 prevented them from attending the annual Washington, D.C., trip. One of these students will receive the scholarship funding following graduation from high school in 2022.

With this year’s scholarship awards, the cooperative will have invested more than $1.5 million in college tuition funding for nearly 1,000 deserving area member-students who were continuing their educations.

More than 20 years ago, United awarded its first scholarships to local high school students and returning college students. In 1997, new funds were made available by House Bill 3203, which allows nonprofit electric cooperatives like United to put unclaimed member dividend funds to use for student scholarships. This change in the law allowed United to recover a percentage of those assets previously lost to the state’s general revenue fund and reapply them toward certain, more regionally specific community needs throughout the cooperative’s service territory.

This year’s winners include:

• Jada Jean, Joshua High School
• Lauren Boleng, Texas Tech University
• Yoseline Garcia, Alvarado High School
• Matthew Murphy, Tarleton State University
• Jordyn Nelson, Tarleton State University
• Olivia Moreno, Hill College
• Emma Reamy, Alvarado High School
• Samuel Yankie, home school student
• Isabella Delarosa, Mansfield Legacy High School
• Jasmine Muñoz, Dublin High School
• Esmae Velsen, Stephenville High School
• Kacie Everett, Stephenville High School
• Kristen Babiash, Texas A&M University
• Ava Magallan, Burleson Centennial High School
• Savannah Bagley, Tolar High School
• Courtney Hendricks, home school student
• William Duckett, Granbury High School  

March 1, 2021

United Issues Statement Regarding Brazos Electric Bankruptcy Filing

United Shares Member Concerns With Texas Senate and House Committees

BURLESON—United Cooperative Services’ (United) wholesale power supplier, Brazos Electric Power Cooperative, Inc. (Brazos), today filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. Brazos took this action to protect its 16 member cooperatives and their retail members from unaffordable electric bills as a result of astronomical wholesale electric market costs that occurred during the cold weather event Feb. 13-19.

Chapter 11 is a protective measure that will allow Brazos to maintain the stability and integrity of its entire electric cooperative system and allow the cooperative to continue to provide reliable power and transmission service to its member cooperatives—as it did prior to filing—while going through the bankruptcy process.

In a statement issued by Brazos, the organization “took this action because it determined that it cannot and will not foist this catastrophic financial event on its member cooperatives and their members.”

“Brazos Electric has been a strong, reliable, affordable generation and transmission cooperative for United for decades and we support their efforts to shield our members from the ERCOT market prices that hit $9,000/MWh during the February frigid weather event that required our members to endure four days of rotating outages,” said United CEO Cameron Smallwood. “While Brazos goes through the bankruptcy process, I want to assure our members that they will continue to receive reliable electric service.”

On Feb. 26, Smallwood had the opportunity to share before the Texas House of Representatives Committee on State Affairs and Energy Resources and Texas Senate Committee on Business and Commerce the cooperative members’ concerns regarding the ERCOT-mandated rotating outages.

Smallwood informed the committees that United is not a generation and transmission owner. United is a distribution cooperative that delivers electricity procured by Brazos Electric and there is concern about how much exposure Brazos and other power providers had to the high-priced wholesale power and how that will affect Texas consumers. Whereas lawmakers heard from other electricity providers during the two-day hearings that many of their customers experienced multi-day outages, Smallwood explained that United successfully executed its mandated rolling outages in 30 to 45-minute intervals.

Smallwood also alluded to the fact one of the biggest concerns that has been shared “very strongly with us, and obviously with the media,” were the well-documented instances where wholesale (electric) prices hit the ceiling and left market participants exposed——giving the appearance that price gouging was occurring at $9 per kWh when (United) charges $.084 per kWh. Smallwood relayed to the Senate Committee that members felt “the pricing was not fair and shouldn’t be passed on to the members.”

A major criticism of many Texas utilities was inadequate communications during the event. However, United was singled out and commended for leveraging a multi-pronged communications plan of social media, news media, website, email and texting.

United is a “bright spot in a very troubling and difficult couple of weeks we’ve had,” said Rep. Shelby Slawson (R-District 59). “I’m one of your members. We’ve heard a lot about the importance of communication with the public. I want to openly commend you and United Co-op for the way you handled that as a member [of the cooperative].”

United’s culture of communication is “something a lot of us could all learn from and is so important,” said Sen. Angela Paxton (R-District 8). “Teaching school, I had the opportunity to work with students on leadership…A lot of people think leadership is about having a title, but I always asked them to think of leadership as setting an example worth following and I think you’ve definitely set an example that’s worth following that we can all learn from,” she added.

Communications is “part of our DNA,” responded Smallwood. “Our understanding is that customers from other utilities were watching our social media and information because they were lacking information [from their providers],” he added.

About United Cooperative Services:

Established in 1938 and headquartered in Burleson, Texas, United Cooperative Services is an electric distribution cooperative serving 92,500 meters and more than 66,000 members.  Maintaining 11,000 miles of energized line, United serves parts of Johnson, Erath, Hood, Bosque, Somervell, Palo Pinto, Coryell, Eastland, Comanche, Stephens, Young, Hamilton, Tarrant and Ellis counties.

Feb. 23, 2021

United Cooperative Services Takes Actions to Support Members

in Aftermath of Historic Winter Storm

BURLESON—United Cooperative Services’ Board of Directors today voted to approve measures intended to help the electric cooperative’s membership cope with challenges resulting from the February 15-19 winter storm event in which the Electric Reliability Council of Texas mandated utilities to conduct controlled, rotating outages. During this unprecedented weather event, member electricity usage reached record levels due to the constantly frigid temperatures. Relief measures include the following and will be in place through March 31, 2021:

• Suspension of disconnect for non-pay
• Relaxing deposit requirements
• Suspension of late fees
• Offering deferred payment plans

An additional measure will be to maintain the current power costs from United’s power supplier Brazos Electric Cooperative. While this measure will be in place for several months while Brazos determines the full extent of the winter event on its wholesale power charges, United will not make any changes at this time. If a change becomes necessary as a result of Brazos’ wholesale power costs, United would make any necessary change gradual to minimize the impact to members.

“This winter event caused the wholesale price of electricity on the ERCOT market to reach the maximum level of $9 per kWh and remain at that level for days,” United CEO Cameron Smallwood said. “To put that in perspective, our residential members, on average and based on usage, pay less than $0.10 per kWh. While we don’t know the full extent of how that cost surge will affect Texas utilities like United, we understand that members’ usage saw a large spike during this high-cost time frame. We will continue to work with our members to mitigate the effects of this event now and in the future,” he added.

United has been and will stay involved in discussions with state legislators on this issue. In addition, United was scheduled to implement a 6.1 percent rate adjustment to its delivery rate (not the power cost associated with ERCOT wholesale prices) in April, but the board of directors unanimously voted to postpone that until the fall.

“We’ve been discussing our planned distribution rate adjustment with members for a year, but we’re a cooperative and we look out for our members and, while this will go into effect in the fall, now simply isn’t the right time,” said United Board President Patsy Dumas.

The relief measures are similar to those approved by United’s board last year when COVID19 created financial hardships on the cooperative’s members. United’s deposit protocol, on average, requires approximately two months’ average billing, but that has been reduced to approximately a one-month average billing.

Additional relief measures implemented by United included funding to member-support agencies through United’s Operation Round Up program. These agencies, which can be found on the cooperative’s website at www.ucs.net/assistance, can provide bill payment aid for qualifying members.

 About United Cooperative Services:

Established in 1938 and headquartered in Cleburne, Texas, United Cooperative Services is an electric distribution cooperative serving 92,500 meters and more than 66,000 members.  Maintaining 11,000 miles of energized line, United serves parts of Johnson, Erath, Hood, Bosque, Somervell, Palo Pinto, Coryell, Eastland, Comanche, Stephens, Young, Hamilton, Tarrant and Ellis counties.

Feb. 15, 2021

ERCOT ORDERS CONTROLLED ROTATING OUTAGES

BURLESON – United Cooperative Services has been instructed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to conduct controlled, rotating outages to compensate for a record winter peak usage demand brought on by extreme weather. ERCOT put this emergency procedure into place to protect the state’s power grid.

These are not unscheduled rolling blackouts. These are controlled, rotating outages designed to prevent unscheduled rolling blackouts and are in accordance with procedures required by ERCOT.

“Electric distribution utilities, like United, are required by ERCOT to conduct these load-shedding procedures to prevent a catastrophic event to our entire electric system in North Texas, as well as to the majority of the state,” said United CEO Cameron Smallwood. “We are executing the required procedures to prevent the grid from reaching an overload status that could result in uncontrolled outages that could last several hours, or even days, if the ERCOT grid is overloaded,” he added.

ERCOT mandated rotating outages in February 2011 when a similar cold weather event caused a power generation shortfall. The controlled, rotating outages are staged at intervals of 20-30 minutes. United urges members and all Texans to reduce their electricity use to the lowest level possible, including:

• Limit electricity usage to only that consumption which is absolutely necessary. Turn off all unnecessary lights, appliances, and electronic equipment.
• Businesses should minimize the use of electric lighting and electricity-consuming equipment as much as possible.
• Large consumers of electricity should consider shutting down or reducing non-essential production processes.

About United Cooperative Services:                                                       

Established in 1938 and headquartered in Cleburne, Texas, United Cooperative Services is an electric distribution cooperative serving 92,000 meters and over 62,000 members. Maintaining nearly 11,000 miles of energized line, United serves members in Johnson, Erath, Hood, Bosque, Somervell, Palo Pinto, Coryell, Eastland, Comanche, Stephens, Young, Hamilton, Tarrant and Ellis counties.

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Feb. 12, 2021

United Warns Members to Prepare for Cold Spell

Cold weather translates into higher electricity usage, bills and could stress grid.

BURLESON—With blasts of arctic air pushing across North Texas, biting deep into consumers’ pocketbooks when heating systems are continuously ramped up to answer temperatures from the teens to the 30s, United Cooperative Services encourages members and the general public to be even more vigilant in determining ways to control their energy usage to mitigate stress on the electric grid and to control their energy costs.

“When we encounter the extremely cold weather during an extended period like we’re experiencing now and into next week, the likes of which haven’t been seen in our area in more than a decade, we urge members to take measures to manage their energy use,” said United CEO Cameron Smallwood. “During extreme weather events when temperatures are freezing and below, heating units run almost continuously. With forecasts showing the potential for 0 degrees or lower in the coming days, demand on the state’s electric grid is expected to set a new record peak usage. Everyone needs to be prepared for outages, whether they’re controlled outages mandated by system operators like the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or if harsh wind, snow and ice are the causes.”

Heating and cooling are responsible for the largest part of a typical electric bill because weather is the number one driver of energy consumption. Regardless if someone is at home or away during the day, weather dictates energy consumption.

“If a thermostat is lowered to 60 degrees, when it’s 20, 30, 40 or even 50 degrees outside, it’s going to affect the temperature in your home and trigger the heater to turn on, compounding energy consumption,” Smallwood said. “Even highly efficient heat pumps cannot keep up when temperatures drop to freezing or below, which prompts emergency heat to turn on and subsequently uses more electricity than normal.”

United is committed to helping its members waste less energy and control their energy costs. During these frigid times, everyone is encouraged to be vigilant in managing their energy use to control their electric bills and protect the grid.

United Cooperative Services, Navisun and TurningPoint Energy Announce

10 MW Community Solar Project Underway in Texas

When complete, the Erath community solar project will be similar in size to recent Navisun and TurningPoint Energy solar project in Danville, VA (above).

BURLESON—United Cooperative Services (United), Navisun, and TurningPoint Energy (TPE) announced today the commencement of construction of the Erath Solar project in Erath, County, TX. The 10 megawatt AC community solar plant is scheduled for completion in early February of next year.

About Navisun

Navisun LLC is a solar independent power producer within the United States that focuses on co- developing, acquiring, owning, and operating distributed and small utility-scale solar projects. The Navisun team has completed numerous projects for municipal, commercial, industrial, utility, and institutional partners throughout the United States, with typical project sizes ranging from 1 to 30 megawatts. For more information, visit www.navisunllc.com.

Navisun Media Contact: Jill Hansen

925-997-5956

jill@hansenre.com

United Cooperative Services Takes Additional Step in

Pandemic Relief Response

BURLESON—United Cooperative Services recently put another big dose of pandemic support into cooperative members’ hands when it returned nearly $9.5 million in combined United and Brazos Electric Cooperative dividends to members well in advance of their usual disbursement every September.  

The United Board of Directors elected in May to accelerate the distribution of member dividends, which augmented member aid that was provided earlier in the COVID-19 outbreak through suspension of disconnects for non-pay, relaxing deposit requirements, suspension of late fees, deferred payment plans, partial forgiveness of existing security deposits. Additional relief measures have also included extra funding to member-support agencies through United’s Operation Round Up program, funding which has already provided thousands of dollars in direct bill payment assistance for qualifying members.

“Ultimately, our main purpose at United is to improve our members’ quality of life and to make a positive difference in the communities we serve,” United CEO Cameron Smallwood said. “We empathize with members who have suffered financially because of the pandemic, and we feel obligated to help where we can as we all continue to shoulder new burdens during this crisis.”

For more than 30 years, United’s Board of Directors has elected to allocate member dividends and this year’s return on members’ equity totals $5.8 million.  Active members in 2019 saw their equity increase in the amount of 8.51 percent of billed electric service.  Brazos Electric is owned by 16 distribution cooperatives, including United. This is the third year that Brazos has returned member dividends and this year’s return of members’ equity for United members totals $3.65 million.

“These are extraordinary times and United Cooperative Services has taken the extraordinary step of returning member dividends ahead of schedule to help those who might be affected by the COVID19 pandemic,” said Smallwood.

 About United Cooperative Services:

Established in 1938 and headquartered in Cleburne, Texas, United Cooperative Services is an electric distribution cooperative serving approximately 89,000 meters and more than 61,000 members.  Maintaining 11,000 miles of energized line, United serves parts of Johnson, Erath, Hood, Bosque, Somervell, Palo Pinto, Coryell, Eastland, Comanche, Stephens, Young, Hamilton, Tarrant and Ellis counties.

United Cooperative Services Takes Actions to Support Members During Pandemic

United Board of Directors codifies measures initiated during COVID-19 pandemic.

BURLESON—United Cooperative Services’ Board of Directors this week unanimously voted to approve measures intended to help the electric cooperative’s membership cope with challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. While the majority of the measures were implemented on March 23, the board officially codified those initiatives at its April 20 meeting. Those measures include the following and will be in place through Sept. 30:

• Suspension of disconnect for non-pay
• Relaxing deposit requirements
• Suspension of late fees
• Offering deferred payment plans
• Providing a partial return of deposits currently held

“We have always worked with our members through various programs to overcome extenuating life circumstances,” said United CEO Cameron Smallwood. “We have already been made aware of United members facing financial distress due to the pandemic, and they should know we’ll help them work through this difficult and uncertain time. Our standard deposit requirement is approximately two months average billing. Under this plan, we have reduced the deposit to approximately a one-month average billing and will return the remaining amount as credits on our members’ May bills.”

While United is governed by a member-elected board of directors, Texas’ for-profit electric companies and retail electric providers are regulated by the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT), which implemented similar measures several days after United initiated its member-support programs. Both cooperative and for-profit utility consumers who get behind on their bills are responsible for paying for any energy used during this disconnect moratorium. There is, however, one glaring difference. In implementing its measures, the PUCT also allowed a means for those for-profit utilities to recoup expenses and losses tied to the moratorium through a new surcharge added to consumer bills.

“As a member-focused organization, United’s members will see no such surcharge on their electric bills,” Smallwood said. “We are a cooperative, and as such, we work to provide exceptional service and value to all of the members who utilize our services.”

Additional relief measures implemented by United included funding to member-support agencies through United’s Operation Round Up program. These agencies, which can be found on the cooperative’s website at www.united-cs.com/covid-19, can provide bill payment aid for qualifying members.

 About United Cooperative Services:

Established in 1938 and headquartered in Cleburne, Texas, United Cooperative Services is an electric distribution cooperative serving approximately 89,000 meters and more than 61,000 members.  Maintaining 11,000 miles of energized line, United serves parts of Johnson, Erath, Hood, Bosque, Somervell, Palo Pinto, Coryell, Eastland, Comanche, Stephens, Young, Hamilton, Tarrant and Ellis counties.

United Announces Hiring for New Vice President of Broadband Services

BURLESON–Officials at United Cooperative Services announced the hiring of a new vice president of broadband services.

Marcellus Nixon, former head of global internet edge engineering at Amazon Web Services, will lead the implementation of United’s broadband initiative following overwhelming positive response from members and a unanimous vote from the cooperative’s board of directors earlier this year to provide United members with high-speed broadband internet service.

“I am both honored and humbled to join United and play a part in leading the historic high-speed broadband internet initiative for our members,” Nixon said. “To the credit of the executive and leadership team, the most important work, the presentation to the board, their approval and contribution from the broadband design consultant has already been done. With very thorough planning underpinning in place, we are in a great position to realize our objectives. Based on what I have seen, I am confident that we will exceed expectations.”

Nixon said quality of life in United’s service territory will be improved due to broadband in many ways, but four are key. First, members can expect increased access to education and medical services. Second, businesses will be able to grow because access to their goods and services is no longer defined by geography. Third, the broadband network can be leveraged to increase efficiency on the power utility side of the business. Fourth, area job growth likely will follow the implementation of high-speed broadband internet.

Some of Nixon’s other career experiences include serving as senior director of network operations and engineering for Verizon Digital Media Services, head of internet architecture for Reliance JIO in Mumbai, India, and director of global network services for ESPN.

He is a graduate of the University of Virginia, and he served as a signal support specialist in the U.S. Army.

CEO Cameron Smallwood said he looks forward to working with Nixon as the Broadband commences in 2020.

“When it came to finding the right person to fill our new vice president position, we took our time and interviewed many applicants,” Smallwood said. “We knew that the person we wanted needed not only to understand the broadband business, but also understand what it means to work at a cooperative and serve our members first. Our members are familiar with United’s success in providing safe, reliable and affordable electric distribution service, and they will come to expect that same exceptional service and value from the broadband service they asked us to provide. It is clear that Marcellus is the right person for the job to do both. I look forward to working with him in meeting our mission of providing our members with exceptional service and value.

About United Cooperative Services: 

Established in 1938 and headquartered in Burleson, Texas, United Cooperative Services is an electric distribution cooperative serving 87,000 meters and more than 60,000 members. United plays a key role in the economic development of its communities and unlike a private utility, the cooperative is a not-for-profit business owned by the members it serves.  Maintaining more than 11,000 miles of energized line, United provides electric distribution service in Johnson, Erath, Hood, Bosque, Somervell, Palo Pinto, Coryell, Eastland, Comanche, Stephens, Young, Hamilton, Tarrant and Ellis counties.

Sept. 24, 2019

United Cooperative Services Set to Launch

High-Speed Broadband Internet Project

BURLESON–United Cooperative Services’ Board of Directors elected unanimously at its regular monthly meeting Monday to proceed with the development of a fiber-optic, high-speed broadband network designed to serve the internet needs of its members throughout its 14-county service territory in North Texas.

Nearly a third of the cooperative’s 61,000 members voted in a ballot initiative to determine interest in their cooperative providing high-speed broadband internet service to its members. Of that voting total, 91 percent responded positively to a proposition posed in June and July asking whether United should consider embarking on such an effort. The proposition drew one of the largest membership responses of any previous ballot measures in the cooperative’s history.

“Over the last several months, in an exercise that exemplified one of seven Cooperative Principles, which is Democratic Member Control, United has sought and received member input on this initiative,” said United Board President Patsy Dumas. “Member response has been overwhelmingly in favor of the cooperative bringing high-speed broadband internet service to its members. The members have a voice, we have listened, and now we can get to work in earnest to bring this service to them.”

The multi-year project is expected to begin in December with the construction of a central fiber-optic backbone that will link and enhance communications systems at the electric cooperative and serve as the nucleus from which a residential broadband network will be built out. The system will be engineered to yield fiber-to-the-home internet service speeds in excess of a gigabit to most cooperative members, and more than 100 Mbps service speeds to most members served in the remotest areas of the cooperative’s service territory, via a fiber-based fixed wireless network. 

“This new service direction obviously represents an immense undertaking for us. But our members—many of whom have been underserved or not served at all with adequate internet services—asked us to find a way to provide high-speed internet service, so we have responded,” United CEO Cameron Smallwood said. “While we still have many details to work through, we fully intend that this system will be designed and operated to ensure our member-owners will get exemplary service quality, dependability and response that has been our hallmark as an electric provider, and which isn’t common within the telecommunications industry today. Since we are committed to the philosophy that superior service and quality are mutually inclusive to superior product value, pricing gimmicks that are so prevalent in the telecommunication world won’t be a part of our marketing efforts. As a nonprofit cooperative, we believe our members will soon realize that our internet service cost structures will be fairly static fixtures that remain as competitive as anything offered within the market.”

An independent, preliminary market study conducted in 2018 estimated that 87 percent of United’s membership did not have access to affordable and/or reliable high-speed broadband internet service (25 Mbps or better). 

July 24, 2019

United Cooperative Services Awards $43,000 in Scholarships

to Area Member-Students

BURLESON–United Cooperative Services helped another crop of 15 member-students advance their educational dreams Tuesday (July 23) when it awarded $43,000 in scholarship awards during the cooperative’s annual scholarship banquet, hosted by the co-op for students and their parents at the cooperative’s Granbury Office Community Room.

The scholarship award program was created to encourage and assist in the educational pursuits of the co-op’s members and their families in its continuing pledge to support and reinvest in the communities it serves.           

“United is more than the sum of its parts as an electric utility company,” United CEO Cameron Smallwood said. “One of our guiding cooperative principles advocates we show concern for community. And investing in the future of our communities by helping the young people we serve realize their higher education dreams is just one of the many ways we demonstrate that lasting commitment and that ideal.”

With this year’s scholarship awards, the cooperative will have staked nearly $1.5 million in college tuition funding for 960 deserving area member-students who were continuing their education. Winners are selected from among area-wide applicants based on their financial need, leadership, community involvement and school activities.

More than 20 years ago, United awarded its first scholarships to local high school students and returning college students. In 1997, new funds were made available by House Bill 3203, which allows nonprofit electric cooperatives like United to put unclaimed member dividend funds to use for student scholarships. This change in the law allowed United to recover a percentage of those assets previously lost to the state’s general revenue fund and reapply them toward certain, more regionally specific community needs throughout the cooperative’s service territory.

Smallwood told recipients that United doesn’t believe in handing out participation trophies—providing awards to everyone just because they showed up for a competitive event.

“Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you were given the scholarships you’re receiving from United today,” Smallwood said. “You earned them. You went through the process and you proved your excellence again, as you already have many times, And tests like these won’t end. You’re on a journey. You’re making many decisions on your own now. The choices you make today and going forward, whether good or bad, will determine your paths for the next 30-40 years. We hope you’ll accept God’s direction, along with these scholarships and our best wishes as you embark on your road to success.” 

Of the 15 scholarship awards, 12 were in the amount of $2,000. The remaining top three scholarship levels were for $10,000, $5,000 and $4,000 respectively.

$10,000 Winner
Sara Heinrichs–Howard Payne University

$5,000 Winner

Karissa Howell–Tarleton State University

$4,000 Winner

Christopher Arthurs–Texas Woman's University

Berkley Lewis– Cornerstone Christian Academy, Granbury

Laila Salmans– Godley High School

Janae Denman–(Homeschooled), Burleson

Nency Gonzales–Keene High School

Christopher Arthurs–Texas Woman's University

Jr Lopez–Alvarado High School

Brett DeViney– Stephenville High School

Caroly Leija– Stephenville High School

Karissa Howell–Tarleton State University

Kailin Dowell–Huckabay High School

Madison Reed–Olson Homeschool Academy, Stephenville

Sara Heinrichs–Howard Payne University

Blake Stephen–Tarleton State University

Brent Stephen–Tarleton State University

Nathan Trammell–Homeschooled, Graford

CUTLINES:

1. From left, United CEO Cameron Smallwood stands with Karissa Howell, Christopher Arthurs, Sara Heinrichs and United Board President Patsy Dumas.

2. From left, top row: Nathan Trammell, Christopher Arthurs, Blake Stephen, Jr Lopez, Brent Stephen, Berkley Lewis, Nency Gonzales, Brett DeViney and Madison Reed. Bottom row: Karissa Howell, Sara Heinrichs, Caroly Leija Janae Denman Laila Salmans and Kailin Dowell.

About United Cooperative Services:      

Established in 1938 and headquartered in Burleson, Texas, United Cooperative Services is an electric distribution cooperative serving nearly 86,000 meters and more than 62,000 members. United plays a key role in the economic development of its communities and unlike a private utility, the cooperative is a not-for-profit business owned by the members it serves.  Maintaining more than 10,700 miles of energized line, United serves all or parts of Johnson, Erath, Hood, Bosque, Somervell, Palo Pinto, Coryell, Eastland, Comanche, Stephens, Young, Hamilton, Tarrant and Ellis counties.

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April 23, 2019

United Cooperative Services Employees Observe Record Safety Milestone

BURLESON—Every day an employee returns home safely to his or her family is worth celebrating, and United Cooperative Services employees have shared many safety highlights in the eight years it has taken to amass a recent company record of more than 2.5 million work hours without a lost-time accident.

Hitting the 2.5 million-hour benchmark puts United’s 158 employees in a league nearly all their own when compared with similarly-sized utility employee groups across the state and nation. The rare achievement is especially significant when considering the business United is in—delivering electric power to more than 57,000 member-owners across the co-op’s 14-county service territory.

Assuring the reliability of United’s electric distribution system often requires employees to work in some of the harshest conditions when restoring power or simply performing day-to-day maintenance. Some of the challenges faced by employees include tornadoes, wildfires, raging winds, lightning and heavy downpours. Despite these hurdles, United employees perform their jobs professionally and, more importantly, safely.

United CEO Cameron Smallwood said the cooperative’s safety program is built on the belief that everyone at the company has a role to play in safety, whether an employee works in the field or in one of United’s six area offices.

“Safety practices are not just for our lineworkers,” Smallwood said. “No employee is immune to factors that can contribute to an injury or a lost-time accident, and every employee is trained to observe safety not only for themselves, but for their fellow workers, too. That was emphasized recently when our employee group collectively pledged its support for adopting a more inclusive employee safety campaign we call ‘Commitment to Zero’—zero contacts, zero accidents and zero incidents.

“Of all the many successes and achievements we have shared as a company and as an employee group, every one of them pale in comparison to the safety of our employees,” he said. “Nothing we will ever do at United is worth the risk of injury or loss of life. As the manager of this cooperative, I am truly blessed that our employees are committed to our safety culture—that they live it, they breathe it and they honor it religiously. This recent accomplishment is a direct result of our employees constantly making safety the No. 1 priority at our cooperative. Ultimately, this benchmark serves to remind us how precious life is, and what the reward is for our complete attention to safety.”

The byproducts of United’s safety culture can be seen in all areas of the co-op’s business. When people are injured on the job, it costs an organization a tremendous amount—financially, operationally and emotionally.

About United Cooperative Services: 

Established in 1938 and headquartered in Burleson, Texas, United Cooperative Services is an electric distribution cooperative serving nearly 85,000 meters and more than 57,000 members. United plays a key role in the economic development of its communities and unlike a private utility, the cooperative is a not-for-profit business owned by the members it serves.  Maintaining more than 10,500 miles of energized line, United serves all or parts of Johnson, Erath, Hood, Bosque, Somervell, Palo Pinto, Coryell, Eastland, Comanche, Stephens, Young, Hamilton, Tarrant and Ellis counties.

For Immediate Release 

Jan. 21, 2019

United Cooperative Services Suspends Disconnects, Offers Deferred Payment Options to Members Affected by Government Shutdown

BURLESON, TX—United Cooperative Services has made deferred payment options available to cooperative members who are federal employees, and who have been furloughed or are not receiving pay as a result of the nation’s continuing partial government shutdown.

The deferred payment period will prevent affected members from having electric service disconnected while the shutdown continues and will include a grace period for electric bill repayment after the federal shutdown has concluded.

“We have always worked with our members through various programs to overcome extenuating life circumstances, using a member assistance program, called Operation Round Up, and other resources at our disposal, in the event of life-altering events caused by weather, fires and other occurrences that leave families in financial distress,” United CEO Cameron Smallwood said. “We have already been made aware of United families that are suffering financial distress due to the government shutdown, and other qualifying affected members should know we’ll help them work through this difficult and uncertain time.”

“Members who have been caught in the lurch of this shutdown need to know we’re here for them, just as we would extend our help in offering options to any other member who has faced unexpected, but nonetheless serious and catastrophic circumstances,” United Chief Operating Officer /Assistant General Manager Marty Haught said. “The last thing these folks need to worry about is whether their electricity is going to be disconnected. We can make sure that doesn’t happen if they’ll let us know their circumstances.”

United members who can provide proof of their employment with a federal agency and who have been affected by the government shutdown are urged to call their nearest cooperative office to arrange convenient deferred payment plan options.

About United Cooperative Services:                                                                                  

Established in 1938 and headquartered in Burleson, Texas, United Cooperative Services is an electric distribution cooperative serving more than 85,000 meters and approximately 57,000 members.  A member of Touchstone Energy^® Cooperatives, United plays a key role in the economic development of its communities. Unlike a private utility, the cooperative is a not-for-profit business owned by the members it serves. United maintains more than 10,700 miles of energized line and serves all or parts of Johnson, Erath, Hood, Bosque, Somervell, Palo Pinto, Coryell, Eastland, Comanche, Stephens, Young, Hamilton, Tarrant and Ellis counties.

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July 26, 2018

United Cooperative Services Awards $43,000 in Scholarships to Area Member Students

BURLESON – With a continuing pledge to support and reinvest in the communities it serves, United Cooperative Services helped another crop of member-students advance their educational dreams July 26, 2018 when it awarded $43,000 in scholarship awards to 15 outstanding area students during a scholarship banquet held at the cooperative’s Granbury Office Community Room. The scholarship award program was created to encourage and assist in the educational pursuits of the co-op’s members and their families.

“United is more than an electric utility delivering power to 80,000 meters,” said United CEO Cameron Smallwood. “As a member-owned electric cooperative, United invests in the future of our communities by helping the young people we serve realize their higher education dreams,” he added.

With this year’s scholarship awards, the cooperative will have staked approximately $1.1 million in college tuition funding for 945 deserving area member-students who were continuing their education. Winners are chosen from area-wide applicants based on financial need, leadership and community involvement and school activities.

More than 20 years ago, United awarded its first scholarships to local high school students and returning college students. In 1997, new funds were made available by House Bill 3203, which allows nonprofit electric cooperatives like United to put unclaimed member dividend funds to use for student scholarships. This change in the law allowed United to recover a percentage of those assets previously lost to the state’s general revenue fund and reapply them toward certain, more regionally specific community needs throughout the cooperative’s service territory.

“These scholarship award winners represent the future of our country, and we think they set a refreshing example for how bright the future may look,” Smallwood said. “I know these individuals will not waste this opportunity, but instead use the investment the cooperative has made in them to better themselves as they prepare to become positive influences and productive members of our state and country.”

Of the 15 scholarship awards, 12 were in the amount of $2,000. The remaining top three scholarship levels were for $10,000, $5,000 and $4,000 respectively.

$10,000 Winner
Meda Bow—Bow Christian Academy (Homeschooled)

$5,000 Winner
Riley McKinzie–Stephenville High School

$4,000 Winner
Carly Cheek–Granbury High School

$2,000 Winners
Grayson Lewis–Cornerstone Christian Academy, Granbury
Lachlyn McPhie–Granbury High School
Melanie Boleng–Granbury High School
Jillian Denman–Homeschooled, Burleson
Elizabeth Davenport–Hill College
Kasee Bouchey–Stephenville High School
Golan Balding–North Central Texas Academy
Ashton Garner–Stephenville High School
Bailey McDaniel–West Texas A&M University
Katelynn Vandenberg–Lingleville High School
Matthew Trammell–Trammell Family Academy
Miriya Little–Graford ISD

“We are always amazed at the talented pool of students who apply for our scholarships each year. And certainly, this year’s crop of students was no exception. Being selected as overall scholarship finalists is quite a feat,” Smallwood said. “We wish these young men and women continued success, and we hope they will see these scholarship awards as a means for accomplishing many more great things in the future.”

About United Cooperative Services:

Established in 1938 and headquartered in Burleson, Texas, United Cooperative Services is an electric distribution cooperative serving nearly 86,000 meters and more than 60,000 members. United plays a key role in the economic development of its communities and unlike a private utility, the cooperative is a not-for-profit business owned by the members it serves. Maintaining more than 10,500 miles of energized line, United serves all or parts of Johnson, Erath, Hood, Bosque, Somervell, Palo Pinto, Coryell, Eastland, Comanche, Stephens, Young, Hamilton, Tarrant and Ellis counties.

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July 18, 2018

United Encourages Members to “Beat the Peak” this Week

Implementing conservation measures during peak hours can relieve grid stress.

BURLESON – With the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) establishing a new record peak demand for electricity today, United Cooperative Services encourages members of the cooperative and the general public to beat the peak by implementing energy conservation measures during the peak usage hours of 3 p.m.-7 p.m. during the extended heat wave blanketing the North Texas region.

ERCOT set a new all-time systemwide peak demand record Wednesday, reaching 71,438 MW between 3 and 4 p.m. The prior record of 71,110 MW was set on Aug. 11, 2016.

Texans continue to deal with extreme heat across the state as ERCOT and electricity providers are working diligently to ensure they have the power they need to keep cool. ERCOT expects new demand records as summer 2018 continues.

“United’s members and electricity consumers across North Texas experience summer peak times May through October between the hours of 3 p.m.-7 p.m.,” said United CEO Cameron Smallwood. “As we’ve explained to our members since earlier this spring, energy conservation measures are vital to ensuring the integrity of our state electric grid. With generation reserves lower than originally forecasted by ERCOT, we want to make sure we and all of our members do our part to keep things stable.”

Consumers should be aware that the peak energy use periods occur when consumers are getting ready for their day in the morning and when they get home from work during the afternoon and evening.

“Liken it to rush hour traffic, but this time the congestion is on the power grid as consumers get home from work and appliances and HVAC equipment start to be utilized at a significantly higher level than they were only several hours earlier,” Smallwood said. “It’s also very common for wholesale electricity prices to increase during times of higher demand, so everything we do to reduce energy usage can go a long way toward saving on energy costs.”

Electricity consumers can implement a number of summer energy conservation measures that will minimize their usage during peak periods, which benefits them with regards to their bills and benefits the electric grid by relieving some of the demand. Here are some tips on beating the peak:

• Set the A/C thermostat to 78 degrees or higher. Greater peak-shaving can occur by increasing the setting by two to three degrees during the peak time.

• Use clothes washers, dryers, dishwashers and other electric devices sparingly and try to get in the practice of using them outside of the peak energy use periods. If it’s necessary to use them during peak periods, try to limit usage to one appliance at a time.

• The use of electric appliances, such as ovens, should be avoided during peak periods. Not only does an electric oven or range increase demand, it also raises the temperature in the home, resulting in longer run times for an air conditioner.

For more energy-saving tips, please visit www.united-cs.com.

About United Cooperative Services:

Established in 1938 and headquartered in Cleburne, Texas, United Cooperative Services is an electric distribution cooperative serving approximately 85,000 meters and more than 58,000 members. Maintaining 11,000 miles of energized line, United serves parts of Johnson, Erath, Hood, Bosque, Somervell, Palo Pinto, Coryell, Eastland, Comanche, Stephens, Young, Hamilton, Tarrant and Ellis counties.

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July 5, 2018

United Line Crews Respond to Wildfire Damage

BURLESON—United line crews today were continuing to assess, stage reconstruction and restore power line infrastructure lost recently in the “Surprise Fire” that has kept the Texas Forestry Service, local firefighters and the cooperative busy on land at the 101 Ranch in Palo Pinto County, located along U.S. Highway 180 and 3-4 miles east the town of Palo Pinto.

Though damage to the cooperative’s service distribution system has been relatively light, approximately 10 poles and multiple spans of wire were consumed in the brushfire’s sweep across hilly and rocky terrain—which has not only hampered fire containment and the cooperative’s safe restoration response, but also will make reconstruction more difficult. Only 38 meters have been affected thus far as a result of the outage caused by the fire.

Current systemwide outage status may be viewed via United’s Outage Dashboard at www.united-cs.com.

Timely restoration updates can be found on United’s homepage at www.united-cs.com and on Facebook.

United warns all members to stay away from downed power poles and power lines. Every power line has the potential to be fully energized, whether it resides overhead or is laying on the ground. At all times, power lines should be considered extremely dangerous. Never touch downed lines or get close to them. Members who see a downed power line should contact United immediately.

During a loss of electricity, members of United Cooperative Services should call their area office and report the outage:

Cleburne 817-556-4000
Stephenville 254-965-3153
Burleson 817-447-9292
Granbury 817-326-5232
Meridian 254-435-2832
Possum Kingdom 940-779-2985

About United Cooperative Services:

Established in 1938 and headquartered in Cleburne, Texas, United Cooperative Services is an electric distribution cooperative serving nearly 80,000 meters and more than 58,000 members. United plays a key role in the economic development of its communities and unlike a private utility, the cooperative is a not-for-profit business owned by the members it serves. Maintaining more than 10,500 miles of energized line, United serves all or parts of Johnson, Erath, Hood, Bosque, Somervell, Palo Pinto, Coryell, Eastland, Comanche, Stephens, Young, Hamilton, Tarrant and Ellis counties.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information Please contact

John Davis – Communications Director

Phone: (817) 782-8354

E-mail: johnd@united-cs.com

April 20, 2018

PHOTO CUTLINE: U.S. Rep. Mike Conaway discusses the role of PACs with United employees during a luncheon Friday at the co-op’s Stephenville office.

U.S. Rep. Conaway Addresses Employees at

United Cooperative Services Luncheon

STEPHENVILLE – When it comes to the voices looking out for the interests of co-ops and their members, those voices are heard loud and clear in Washington, D.C.

That’s what U.S. Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas) said as he addressed employees of United Cooperative Services today (April 20) during a lunch celebration of Rural Friends/ACRE.

Rural Friends/ACRE is a political action committee (PAC) that supports legislators who protect the interests of electric coops and their members. It is open to all people with an interest in preserving their local electric cooperative and promoting the progress and growth of co-ops and the communities they serve. Conaway praised the organization’s efficiency in making sure members of Congress knew the issues co-ops face.

“I’m proud of you that every one of you sees value in taking your after-tax dollars and giving it to the PAC,” Conaway said. “The PAC then invests that money in good governance. It doesn’t buy you access, it doesn’t buy you any votes. But it does allow for you to invest in those people who represent you, represent your ideas, represent your issues and try to work on your behalf. All those dollars are disclosed. But it’s really, really important to invest in good governance.”

During the luncheon, Conaway discussed the difficulties and disappointments faced by the recent farm bill drawn up by the House Agriculture Committee, for which he is chairman. The bill cleared the committee along party lines on Wednesday despite opposition from democrats regarding changes the new bill made to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. He also discussed working with President Trump, and how Republicans have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Trump on everything that the president has worked to pass so far.

Involvement in the political process is vital to keeping the values of electric co-ops front and center to federal politicians, said Cameron Smallwood, CEO of United.

“All of our participation in Rural Friends/ACRE, along with our board of directors and those members who contribute are examples of how to be active in the political process,” said Smallwood. “We work very hard to have a relationship with our representatives by meeting with them regularly. It’s important to make them aware of the impacts to our members that some future legislation may have. It’s also important to assist organizations such as Rural Friends/ACRE in its mission as well by voluntarily donating. Our organization regularly shows legislators that we are engaged in the political process to ensure our members’ best interests are included when the representatives make decisions that affect us all.”

This year, United’s Rural Friends/ACRE membership stands at 259. Members include United’s board of directors, employees, their spouses and co-op members, who have pledged more than $9,200 to demonstrate how important the political process is in protecting the electric cooperatives and the services they provide their members, he said.

About United Cooperative Services

Established in 1938 and headquartered in Cleburne, Texas, United Cooperative Services is an electric distribution cooperative serving 83,000 meters and more than 57,000 members. United plays a key role in the economic development of its communities and, unlike a private utility, the cooperative is a not-for-profit business owned by the members it serves. Maintaining more than 11,000 miles of energized line, United serves parts of Johnson, Erath, Hood, Bosque, Somervell, Palo Pinto, Coryell, Eastland, Comanche, Stephens, Young, Hamilton, Tarrant and Ellis counties.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information Please contact

John Davis – Communications Director

Phone: (817) 782-8354

E-mail: johnd@united-cs.com

April 3, 2018

CUTLINE: United Cooperative Services’ Board President Patsy Dumas, left, and CEO Cameron Smallwood, right, cut the ribbon on the 9.9 megawatt United Community Solar project. Also in attendance were United’s board of directors, State Rep. DeWayne Burns, members of Bosque County Commissioners Court, Kopperl Independent School District, and officials from Turning Point Energy LLC, DEPCOM and Monarch Private Capital.

United Cooperative Services Announces Commercial Operation of the 9.9 Megawatt (AC) United Community Solar Project

BURLESON – United Cooperative Services (United), TurningPoint Energy (TPE), DEPCOM Power, Inc. (DEPCOM), Alchemy Renewable Energy, ReNew Petra and Monarch Private Capital announced today the commercial operation of the 9.9 megawatt (AC) United Community Solar photovoltaic plant in Bosque County, Texas.

“This is a new day for United,” said United CEO Cameron Smallwood. “We’re really excited about providing a new and innovative energy option to our members that they haven’t had before. So many of our members have told us that they want solar, but they haven’t found it affordable to install at their residence, or that their residence simply is not conducive to a solar installation. This new community solar project provides all of our members the opportunity to have a solar energy option at a cost-competitive price.”

Turning Point Energy, LLC, developed the project and the facility has begun generating clean energy and delivering it to the United power grid, bringing renewable power to thousands of the cooperative’s members.

DEPCOM provided Engineering, Procurement, Construction and is providing Operations & Maintenance for the plant.

“I’m proud to say this project was fully developed, constructed and operational ahead of schedule with the goal of exceeding the expectations of our client at United Cooperative Services,” said Jared Schoch, President of TurningPoint Energy. “It took our collective team between United Cooperative Services, TurningPoint Energy, DEPCOM Power and Monarch Capital Partners to make this happen.”

Alchemy Renewable Energy and ReNew Petra have a joint venture (ARE RP Ventures) and are the long-term asset “Owner/Manager” of the project. Alchemy Renewable Energy is a portfolio company of Monarch Private Capital (MPC), which is providing the tax equity financing for the project.

“ARE RP Ventures is excited about our first solar project in Texas, as well as the opportunity to work with United, TPE and DEPCOM Power to provide low cost renewable energy to United’s member owners” said Lacie Clark, Alchemy Renewable Energy’s CEO and Managing Director for Monarch. “The completion of this project lays the foundation for us to own, operate and provide tax equity for future solar projects in Texas.”

In keeping with DEPCOM’s corporate hiring commitment, approximately 90 percent of construction labor jobs were sourced from Bosque County and 25 percent comprised of U.S. Veterans.

“DEPCOM is proud to have delivered an efficient and reliable clean energy solar plant for United Cooperative and its members. We greatly appreciated the strong local support received from Bosque County, site neighbors and community leaders,” said Johnnie Taul, Chief Operating Officer for DEPCOM Power.

A portion of the project profits were also donated to deserving, local Bosque County community outreach organizations and to the Bob Gary Family Memorial fund.

About United Cooperative Services

Established in 1938 and headquartered in Cleburne, Texas, United Cooperative Services is an electric distribution cooperative serving 83,000 meters and more than 57,000 members. United plays a key role in the economic development of its communities and, unlike a private utility, the cooperative is a not-for-profit business owned by the members it serves. Maintaining more than 11,000 miles of energized line, United serves parts of Johnson, Erath, Hood, Bosque, Somervell, Palo Pinto, Coryell, Eastland, Comanche, Stephens, Young, Hamilton, Tarrant and Ellis counties.

About TurningPoint Energy

TurningPoint Energy is a clean energy advisory, development and investment company headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Its principals have experience developing solar projects totaling more than $2.1 billion in value over 750MW of operating solar power plants throughout the United States within the last eight years. TurningPoint Energy is structured as a privately held, lean company with some of the lowest overhead and profit requirements in the energy industry, the ability to make decisions quickly and customize our projects to each customer's needs. For more information about TurningPoint Energy, visit www.turningpoint-energy.com.

About DEPCOM Power

DEPCOM Power is a partner in utility-scale solar for: Project Development Support, Engineering, Procurement & Construction and Operations and Maintenance services for utilities, independent power producers and project development companies. DEPCOM Power leverages a highly experienced solar team, technology and agnostic top-tier solar modules, and cost effective balance of system components to provide optimum levels of agility, price and quality for utility scale solar. For more information about DEPCOM Power visit www.depcompower.com

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information Please contact

John Davis – Communications Director

Phone: (817) 782-8354

E-mail: johnd@united-cs.com

Feb. 27, 2018

United Cooperative Services Completes Restoration Feb. 26

Fellow co-ops lend major support in biggest restoration in cooperative’s history.

STEPHENVILLE – As of 8 p.m. Monday (Feb. 26), United Cooperative Services and crews from 11 other electric cooperatives and contractors restored service to the last remaining member who lost power as a result of the Feb. 21 ice storm, the worst storm-related outage event in the cooperative’s history. Banding together, more than 100 personnel worked 16 to 20-hour shifts to get the power restored.

“I couldn’t be prouder of this group of folks for responding the way they did to restore power to our membership,” said United CEO Cameron Smallwood. “More so, I’m most proud that all of these linemen, most of whom have never worked with or alongside each other, completed this restoration safely and without an accident. They did great work and they get to go home to their families because they did great work safely.”

When the Arctic weather front dipped further south and westerly than predicted, it left more than 8,000 United members residing in Erath, Palo Pinto and Hood counties without power. Ice accumulations of 1-2 inches thick snapped power lines designed to carry electrical current not hundreds of extra pounds of ice. In many cases the lines sagged as low as 10 feet, often tangling in trees at that level, or simply snapped and wound around thick brush below. Tree trimming crews cut paths through much of the dense brush and trees just so linemen could access lines, untangle them and carry them up the poles they had to climb.

The freezing weather and steady precipitation didn’t break until midday on Feb. 24, and the combination of the two elements had mired early progress as crews slogged their way through dense thickets and yards of mud to walk out, clear and repair damaged line. Equipment got stuck repeatedly, so fatigued crews carried equipment with them from pole to pole, and from one damaged span of line to the next, in the rain and in the cold. It took the crews about five days to complete the restoration of infrastructure damaged by one day’s worth of freezing drizzle, along with 48 hours of unrelenting rainfall that left terrain saturated and nearly inaccessible to heavy equipment.

The immense restoration effort, aided by the crews and equipment volunteered by 11 other electric cooperatives that included Bandera Electric Cooperative, Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative, CoServ Electric, Hamilton Electric Cooperative, HILCO Electric Cooperative, Heart of Texas Electric Cooperative, Jasper-Newton Electric Cooperative, Lyntegar Electric Cooperative, San Bernard Electric Cooperative, South Plains Electric Cooperative and Tri-County Electric Cooperative (Okla.), was made in response to what will now rank among the most devastating weather-related outage/damage events recorded in United’s history.

Smallwood said recovery from the storm’s devastation would have taken much longer if the extra manpower and resources had not been available.

“If not for the help of our co-op friends, this restoration effort would have taken weeks rather than days,” he said. On behalf of our membership and cooperative, we can’t thank them enough for their willingness to help and the commitment their linemen have demonstrated throughout this event,” Smallwood said.

Once the restoration process began in earnest late Feb. 22 when temperatures rose above freezing and began to melt the ice, a systematic and organized strategy launched and crews started at each substation.

“They start work from the beginning of each substation feeder line and move outward because it’s the safest and most efficient way to handle an outage event of this magnitude,” said Smallwood. “The feeders are the primary infrastructure that carry the electricity to each electric ‘tap’ toward member homes/meters,” he added. “As crews repaired or replaced downed feeder lines, we energized those sections until we reached the end of the feeder. Other crews came behind the initial crews and addressed the ‘tap’ lines that serve the loads, which are our members’ homes.”

While this event proved challenging and caused a great deal of frustration among the membership affected by it, there was also a silver lining. Many United members donated drinks and goodies to the line crews throughout the restoration, not only providing nourishment to the body, but also lifting the morale of the fatigued linemen.

“Disaster often brings people and communities closer together,” Smallwood said. “United is a cooperative, which is a business model that succeeds because people, such as our members, first responders, general public, employees and our board of directors, work together for a greater good. All of us came together in this event and the greater good was a successful restoration that would have taken much longer had we not all cooperated.”

United continues to emphasize members to stay away from any downed power lines or electrical infrastructure. Assume it is energized and call United to report downed lines as soon as possible.

About United Cooperative Services:

Established in 1938 and headquartered in Cleburne, United Cooperative Services is an electric distribution cooperative serving more than 80,000 meters and 55,000 members. United plays a key role in the economic development of its communities and unlike a private utility, the cooperative is a not-for-profit business owned by the members it serves. Maintaining more than 11,000 miles of energized line, United serves parts of Johnson, Erath, Hood, Bosque, Somervell, Palo Pinto, Coryell, Eastland, Comanche, Stephens, Young, Hamilton, Tarrant and Ellis counties.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information Please contact

John Davis – Communications Director

Phone: (817) 782-8354

E-mail: johnd@united-cs.com

Feb. 25, 2018

United Cooperative Services Crews Restore 3,000 Since Saturday Morning

Crews work around the clock in worst storm-related outage event in co-op’s history.

STEPHENVILLE – Since 6 a.m. Feb. 24, 2018, United Cooperative Services, along with more than a hundred operations and tree-trimming personnel from other electric cooperatives and contractors, have restored electric service to more than 3,000 members in what is the worst storm-related event outage in the electric cooperative’s history.

Demonstrating Cooperative Principle No. 6—Cooperation Among Cooperatives—11 fellow electric cooperatives sent an elite contingent of linemen to help rebuild and repair the United infrastructure crippled by the ice storm on Feb. 21.

“On behalf of our membership and cooperative, we can’t thank our co-op friends enough for their willingness to help and the commitment their linemen have demonstrated throughout this event,” said United CEO Cameron Smallwood. “If not for Bandera Electric Cooperative, Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative, CoServ Electric, Hamilton Electric Cooperative, HILCO Electric Cooperative, Heart of Texas Electric Cooperative, Jasper-Newton Electric Cooperative, Lyntegar Electric Cooperative, San Bernard Electric Cooperative, South Plains Electric Cooperative, Tri-County Electric Cooperative (Okla.), this restoration effort would be weeks-long rather than days long.”

The process of restoration has been extremely systematic and organized, which is the strategy that’s been executed from the beginning of the ice storm. The crews started at each substation. They start work from the beginning of each substation feeder line and move outward because it’s the safest and most efficient way. These are the primary “arteries” that carry the electricity to each electric “tap” toward member homes/meters. Once the crews restore these primary lines, the outage management system notes that area as restored.

“If you see on our Outage Viewer on our website at www.united-cs.com that your area is restored, but you still don’t have power, please text the outage in, which automatically re-enters your specific outage into our Outage Management System and verifies that you have an outage,” Smallwood said. “If you can’t text, call one of our offices,” he added. “To text your outage, text the word ‘OUT’ to 85700.”

The remaining outages are still mostly scattered throughout Erath County. Crews will continue to work around the clock, making repairs or replacing destroyed equipment. The progress was steady in spite of the conditions, but there is a significant amount of power lines on the ground that need to be either replaced or restrung.

Smallwood continues to emphasize members to stay away from any downed power lines or electrical infrastructure. Assume it is energized and call United to report downed lines as soon as possible.

About United Cooperative Services:

Established in 1938 and headquartered in Cleburne, United Cooperative Services is an electric distribution cooperative serving more than 80,000 meters and 55,000 members. United plays a key role in the economic development of its communities and unlike a private utility, the cooperative is a not-for-profit business owned by the members it serves. Maintaining more than 11,000 miles of energized line, United serves parts of Johnson, Erath, Hood, Bosque, Somervell, Palo Pinto, Coryell, Eastland, Comanche, Stephens, Young, Hamilton, Tarrant and Ellis counties.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information Please contact
John Davis – Communications Director
Phone: (817) 782-8354
E-mail: johnd@united-cs.com

Feb. 23, 2018

United Cooperative Services Crews Restore 1,600 Friday

More electric cooperatives join restoration effort of historic storm damage.

STEPHENVILLE – United Cooperative Services, along with more than 100 operations and tree-trimming personnel from other electric cooperatives and contractors, toiled through lines tangled in trees and swamp-like saturated ground to restore more than 1,600 members as of 6:30 p.m.

Joining United and crews from HILCO Electric Cooperative and Heart of Texas Electric Cooperative today were fellow cooperatives Bandera Electric Cooperative, Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative, Lyntegar Electric Cooperative, San Bernard Electric Cooperative, Jasper-Newton Electric Cooperative and Hamilton County Electric Cooperative. Joining the restoration effort Saturday will be crews from South Plains Electric Cooperative.

“As an electric cooperative, we abide by seven Cooperative Principles,” said United CEO Cameron Smallwood. “Principle No. 6 is Cooperation Among Cooperatives, and that is never more exemplified than when you’re in need. Our crews have had to answer the call to help other electric cooperatives suffering through similar circumstances in the past, and now the co-op cavalry has answered the call from us. Like United’s employees, everything these crews focus on is to provide members, whether they are theirs or another co-op’s, the best possible service.”

Crews will continue to work around the clock making repairs and replacing destroyed equipment. Friday’s progress was steady in spite of the conditions, but linemen discovered a significant amount of power lines on the ground that need to be either replaced or restrung.

Smallwood continues to emphasize that the public should stay away from any downed power lines or electrical infrastructure. Assume it is energized, and call United to report downed lines as soon as possible.

Members can monitor outages from United’s outage dashboard at http://outage.united-cs.com:7576/. A hardhat icon indicates a crew is working to restore power. This can be viewed on a web browser on a smart phone or tablet equipped with internet access.

During a loss of electricity, members of United Cooperative Services should have account numbers handy and call their area office and report the outage:

Cleburne 817-556-4000
Burleson 817-447-9292
Granbury 817-326-5232
Meridian 254-435-2832
Possum Kingdom 940-779-2985
Stephenville 254-965-3153

About United Cooperative Services:

Established in 1938 and headquartered in Cleburne, United Cooperative Services is an electric distribution cooperative serving more than 80,000 meters and 55,000 members. United plays a key role in the economic development of its communities and unlike a private utility, the cooperative is a not-for-profit business owned by the members it serves. Maintaining more than 11,000 miles of energized line, United serves parts of Johnson, Erath, Hood, Bosque, Somervell, Palo Pinto, Coryell, Eastland, Comanche, Stephens, Young, Hamilton, Tarrant and Ellis counties.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information Please contact
John Davis – Communications Director
Phone: (817) 782-8354
E-mail: johnd@united-cs.com

Feb. 22, 2018

United Cooperative Services Reports Major Damage to Western Territory

Linemen facing one of the most challenging restoration efforts in cooperative’s history.

STEPHENVILLE – United Cooperative Services linemen have discovered massive destruction to electrical infrastructure in the wake of an ice storm that has wreaked havoc to the co-op’s western service territory.

Erath County has continued to be hardest hit, affecting members in the thousands throughout the ordeal. On top of assigning restoration to all available United crews and several contract crews, United officials also have accepted the assistance of crews from HILCO Electric Cooperative, Heart of Texas Electric Cooperative and Hamilton County Electric Cooperative.

“The ice has damaged and continues to damage poles, lines and other infrastructure,” said United CEO Cameron Smallwood. “Again and again, linemen have repaired circuits and restored power only to have more tree limbs and ice-coated power lines break under the weight of the ice and damage the repairs. At the moment, we’re facing one of the most challenging restoration efforts in my 20 years at this cooperative, and members should prepare to be without power for several days. With that said, we will not give up until everyone’s electrical service has been restored.”

United officials who have surveyed the damage found many poles in the area have been toppled, leaving miles of spans of line on the ground. Also, they discovered ice more than two inches thick hanging on power lines and trees. To compound problems, the Stephenville area experienced yet another morning thunderstorm, dumping more water on an already saturated ground and making it more difficult to even impossible for linemen to access areas needing repair.

Smallwood emphasized members to stay away from any downed or low-hanging power lines or electrical infrastructure. Assume it is energized and call United to report downed lines as soon as possible.

Members can monitor outages from United’s outage dashboard at http://outage.united-cs.com:7576/. A hardhat icon indicates a crew is working to restore power. This can be viewed on a web browser on a smart phone or tablet equipped with internet access.

During a loss of electricity, members of United Cooperative Services should have account numbers handy and call their area office and report the outage:

Cleburne 817-556-4000
Burleson 817-447-9292
Granbury 817-326-5232
Meridian 254-435-2832
Possum Kingdom 940-779-2985

Stephenville 254-965-3153

About United Cooperative Services:

Established in 1938 and headquartered in Cleburne, United Cooperative Services is an electric distribution cooperative serving more than 80,000 meters and 55,000 members. United plays a key role in the economic development of its communities and unlike a private utility, the cooperative is a not-for-profit business owned by the members it serves. Maintaining more than 11,000 miles of energized line, United serves parts of Johnson, Erath, Hood, Bosque, Somervell, Palo Pinto, Coryell, Eastland, Comanche, Stephens, Young, Hamilton, Tarrant and Ellis counties.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Feb. 21, 2018

United Cooperative Services Crews Battling to Restore Recent Outages

Recent storms, ice damaging infrastructure in western portions of service territory.

BURLESON – Relentless rain, sleet and icy conditions produced multiple outages throughout United Cooperative Services western service territory. As of Wednesday evening (Feb. 21), about 7,000 members were without power. Erath County was hardest hit with outages in excess of 5,500.

“We have dedicated every resource and body available to this restoration effort,” said United CEO Cameron Smallwood. “We’ve sent our contract crews out into the field to assist, and crews from neighboring co-ops have committed to join the effort. With that said, the level of damage the ice and storms have done is extensive, and the precipitation has made getting to many problem areas impossible. This restoration effort could take one to two days for some members.”

In the storms, poles have been toppled, leaving many spans of line on the ground. United encourages everyone to stay away from any downed power lines and to call United to report downed lines as soon as possible.

Members can monitor outages from United’s outage dashboard at http://outage.united-cs.com:7576/. A hardhat icon indicates a crew is working to restore power. This can be viewed on a web browser on a smart phone or tablet equipped with internet access.

During a loss of electricity, members of United Cooperative Services should have account numbers handy and call their area office and report the outage:

Cleburne 817-556-4000
Burleson 817-447-9292
Granbury 817-326-5232
Meridian 254-435-2832
Possum Kingdom 940-779-2985

Stephenville 254-965-3153

About United Cooperative Services:

Established in 1938 and headquartered in Cleburne, United Cooperative Services is an electric distribution cooperative serving more than 80,000 meters and 55,000 members. United plays a key role in the economic development of its communities and unlike a private utility, the cooperative is a not-for-profit business owned by the members it serves. Maintaining more than 11,000 miles of energized line, United serves parts of Johnson, Erath, Hood, Bosque, Somervell, Palo Pinto, Coryell, Eastland, Comanche, Stephens, Young, Hamilton, Tarrant and Ellis counties.

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Jan. 25, 2018

Students Have Chance to Win Trip to Washington, D.C.

United Cooperative Services to sponsor two local high school students.

BURLESON – United Cooperative Services seeks high school student applicants for the 2018 National Electric Cooperative Youth Tour trip to Washington, D.C.

No place in this country offers a better venue to see democracy in action and to learn what the U.S. flag stands for than Washington, D.C., and electric cooperatives should pave the way for youths to have such an experience. Lyndon B. Johnson made that statement in 1957 in Chicago as he addressed attendees at the annual meeting of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

Since that time, Texas electric cooperatives have adhered to that philosophy, joining other co-ops from across the country in sponsoring trips to the nation’s capital for young students interested in witnessing government in action.

United Cooperative Services has played a pivotal role in giving dozens of young people such an opportunity. Known as the Government-In-Action Youth Tour Contest, United will again sponsor two fortunate high school students for a trip June 6-15 to Austin, Texas, and Washington, D.C. The two students are selected via a contest. The objectives of the Youth Tour are three-fold:

1. To educate youth on all aspects of rural electrification in order to promote a better understanding of the value of rural electric cooperatives.

2. To provide an opportunity for youth to visit monuments, government buildings and cooperative-related organizations in order to become familiar with the historical and political environment of their nation’s capital.

3. To provide an opportunity for youth to meet elected officials in order to better understand how their federal government works.

This contest is open to high school sophomores, juniors and seniors who attend a high school or are home-schooled full-time in United’s service area. Each contestant must complete and submit an application, which can be filled out online. Visit Youth Tour under the Programs tab at www.united-cs.com. The applicant is not required to be a member of United Cooperative Services. Winners of any past Youth Tour are not eligible to enter and immediate family members of United employees or directors are not eligible to enter.

Applications must be submitted no later than Feb. 8, 2018.

“The Youth Tour does more than provide students a tour of the important national monuments,” said United CEO Cameron Smallwood. “The trip gives these young people—the future leaders of our state and our country—a front row seat to democracy in action.”

About United Cooperative Services:

Established in 1938 and headquartered in Burleson, United Cooperative Services is an electric distribution cooperative serving more than 83,000 meters and 56,000 members. United plays a key role in the economic development of its communities and unlike a private utility, the cooperative is a not-for-profit business owned by the members it serves. Maintaining more than 11,000 miles of energized line, United serves parts of Johnson, Erath, Hood, Bosque, Somervell, Palo Pinto, Coryell, Eastland, Comanche, Stephens, Young, Hamilton, Tarrant and Ellis counties.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Editor’s note: See graph below.

Jan. 2, 2018

United Warns Cold Weather Translates into Higher Electricity Usage, Bills

With the blasts of arctic air that have recently surged across North Texas, biting deep into consumers’ pocketbooks when heating systems are continuously ramped up to answer temperatures from the teens to the 30s, United Cooperative Services is encouraging members and the general public to be even more vigilant in determining ways to control their energy usage—holding onto precious energy dollars.

“When we encounter the weather we’ve seen recently, members ask if the cooperative raised rates,” said United CEO Cameron Smallwood. “It’s not that rates have gone up. It’s that usage has surged as we transition from traditionally low-usage periods in October and November to the harsh, low temperatures from December through February. During these types of weather scenarios, we strongly encourage our members to reach out to us and take advantage of our free home energy audits and all of the resources and rebates United provides to help hold down energy costs.”

To demonstrate how weather affects usage, the electric cooperative looked at United employee and member Robert Bernhoft’s usage from Dec. 11-31, 2017. During this 20-day usage period, the temperatures see-sawed up from mild to below freezing. When temperatures were chilly on Dec. 31, and the high reached only about 30 degrees, the Bernhoft house used 234 kWh of electricity. Compare that day with Dec. 21, when the high temperature reached 78 degrees—and Bernhoft’s heating system didn’t need to cycle on as long or frequently—and his usage was a modest 59 kWh.

“Heating and cooling are responsible for the largest part of a typical electric bill, which makes sense because weather is the No. 1 driver of energy consumption,” Bernhoft said. “It should also be noted that I have R-38 attic and R-19 wall insulation, but when it gets as cold as it did at the end of December, your heating system will run.”

Regardless of whether someone is at home or away during the day, weather dictates energy consumption.

“Even when you lower your thermostat to 60 degrees as you walk out the door to work in the morning, if it’s 30, 40 or even 50 degrees outside, it’s going to affect the ambient air in your home and trigger the heater to turn on,” Bernhoft said.

Use the tips below to ensure your household is using energy wisely.

• Ensure attic insulation levels are sufficient and add more, if necessary. United recommends an insulation value of R-38 (United provides rebates on some qualifying attic insulation upgrades).
• Weatherize the home, including caulking around windows and sealing with weather-stripping around doors.
• Ensure duct work is adequately sealed at joints and intersections with appropriate tape or mastic.
• Avoid using electric space heaters, which are energy hogs and can substantially increase electric bills.
• Ensure the fireplace flue is closed when not in use. An open flue sucks heat out of the home.
• Utilize programmable thermostats to lower the home temperature when not at home and set it no higher than 68 degrees when occupying the home.
• Water heaters should be set to 120 degrees and if the unit is in a garage or another unconditioned space, utilize an insulated water heater blanket (United members may obtain one during a free energy audit while supplies last).
• Check and or change furnace filters monthly.
• Close drapes at night.

“United is committed to helping its members waste less energy and control their energy costs,” Smallwood said. “During these frigid times, we encourage all of our members to be vigilant in managing their energy use to control their electric bills.”

About United Cooperative Services:       

Established in 1938 and headquartered in Cleburne, Texas, United Cooperative Services is an electric distribution cooperative serving 83,000 meters.  Maintaining more than 11,000 miles of energized line, United serves parts of Johnson, Erath, Hood, Bosque, Somervell, Palo Pinto, Coryell, Eastland, Comanche, Stephens, Young, Hamilton, Tarrant and Ellis counties.

CUTLINE: This graph shows how weather drives energy use. The red and blue lines are the day’s high and low temperatures.  Once the cold front blew through last weekend, Robert Bernhoft’s daily usage (as seen in the gold and blue usage bars) skyrocketed to 234 kWh on Dec. 31, when the high was only about 30 degrees. Compare that with the daily usage on Dec. 21, when the high was 78 degrees and his usage was a modest 59 kWh. While United can’t control the weather, our trusted energy experts can help members save energy and money.  Sign up for a free energy audit today at united-cs.com

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Oct. 24, 2017

Directors Dumas and Thompson Re-Elected to UCS Board

Dumas re-elected board president.

BURLESON—At the regular monthly meeting of United Cooperative Services’ Board of Directors, Patsy Dumas (District 2) Monday was re-elected president of the board. Dumas represents the cooperative’s membership in the Burleson-Mansfield area. Other board officers re-elected include Vice President Larry Bays (District 7) and Secretary/Treasurer Tommy Cantrell (District 3).

The board officer slate was cast following the cooperative’s annual board of director elections, the results of which were canvassed Oct. 21 at the cooperative’s 79th Annual Meeting of the membership at Glen Rose High School. United members re-elected Dumas and Harry Thompson (District 1, Possum Kingdom Lake area) to three-year terms respectively on United’s board of directors.

 “Our board has been instrumental in United’s success in providing safe, reliable and affordable electric distribution service to our membership,” said United CEO Cameron Smallwood. “I look forward to Patsy Dumas’ leadership as board president, as well as the continued contributions by United’s entire board of directors, as we continue to work hard to provide our members exceptional service and value.”

 “I’m humbled by my fellow directors’ confidence in re-electing me to serve as president of the board of United Cooperative Services,” Dumas said. “Looking forward, I see opportunities and challenges. Some of them will be significant. Some of them will require vision. All of them will require us to work together as a cooperative to be innovative, agile and visionary. This doesn’t worry me because I know we have the management and employees with the skills and the will to succeed.”

About United Cooperative Services:                                                       

Established in 1938 and headquartered in Cleburne, Texas, United Cooperative Services is an electric distribution cooperative serving more than 83,000 meters and over 57,000 members.  Maintaining more than 10,500 miles of energized line, United serves parts of Johnson, Erath, Hood, Bosque, Somervell, Palo Pinto, Coryell, Eastland, Comanche, Stephens, Young, Hamilton, Tarrant and Ellis counties.

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Sept. 7, 2017

United Cooperative Services Reaches 2 Million Hours Without a Lost-Time Accident

Co-op proves productivity and safety can coexist.

BURLESON - United Cooperative Services employees have reached an historic milestone—2 million work hours without a lost-time accident. While this achievement is immensely significant for the 152-employee electric cooperative utility, it is more noteworthy when considering the business it’s in—delivering electric power to the co-op’s 80,000-plus member-owners.

“This is by far the biggest and most important achievement I’ve been associated with in my 20-plus years in the electric utility industry,” said United CEO Cameron Smallwood. “This accomplishment is a direct result of our employees constantly putting safety as the No. 1 priority at our cooperative, which has led to a total safety culture.”

Establishing an effective safety program, especially at an electric utility, requires commitment from the entire organization, starting at the top. As CEO of United, Smallwood challenges all of the employees to be the best at everything they do, but specifically to put safety first when performing their job duties—no matter what.

Keeping United’s infrastructure operating at an optimal reliability level, while keeping its rates affordable, often requires employees to encounter some of the harshest conditions when restoring power or simply performing day-to-day maintenance. Some of the challenges faced by employees include tornadoes, wild fires, raging winds, lightning and heavy downpours. Despite these hurdles, United employees perform their jobs professionally and, more importantly, safely.

“United is considered to be one of the most progressive, productive, efficient and successful electric cooperative utilities in the nation,” Smallwood said. “Our members have given us through our satisfaction surveys the highest satisfaction scores in the nation. That’s a tremendous honor that we strive to obtain every day. However, there is nothing we, as United Cooperative Services employees, could ever hope to accomplish at this cooperative that is worth injuring or, worse, killing an employee over,” he added. “At the end of each day when every single employee returns home safely is the true accomplishment of our safety culture.”

The byproducts of United’s safety culture can be seen in all areas of the co-op’s business. When people are injured on the job, it costs an organization a tremendous amount—financially, operationally and emotionally.

“In approaching their duties safely, the United employees clearly demonstrate the advantages of being an electric cooperative member. The people we serve get to see the results of our employees’ efforts every day through the safe, reliable and affordable electric service we provide,” Smallwood said.

While the 2 million hours without a lost-time accident serves as a symbol of achievement, the approach to safety taken by United employees is the reason why it occurred. That emphasis on safety will continue to serve as the hallmark of United Cooperative Services.

About United Cooperative Services:

Established in 1938 and headquartered in Cleburne, Texas, United Cooperative Services is an electric distribution cooperative serving more than 81,000 meters and nearly 60,000 members.  United plays a key role in the economic development of its communities and unlike a private utility, the cooperative is a not-for-profit business owned by the members it serves.  Maintaining more than 11,000 miles of energized line, United serves parts of Johnson, Erath, Hood, Bosque, Somervell, Palo Pinto, Coryell, Eastland, Comanche, Stephens, Young, Hamilton, Tarrant and Ellis counties.

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Aug. 16, 2017

United to Offer Members Solar Power With Community Plant

BURLESON – With the goal of making solar energy more accessible for its members, United Cooperative Services (United) today announced the commencement of a 9.9 MW (AC) community solar power plant that will immediately begin construction in Bosque County. The plant developer is TurningPoint Energy and will be built by DEPCOM Power Inc. (DEPCOM).

“Community solar allows multiple people to get electricity from a large solar photovoltaic array, offering a convenient, affordable option for our members who want a part of their monthly power to come from the environmentally friendly energy source,” said United CEO Cameron Smallwood. “Our community solar project is an attractive option for members interested in solar, but who don’t wish to make a significant financial investment, or do not have optimal space or roof orientation, allowing for the maximum output of the solar system. Our community solar facility will also be the perfect solution for members who rent their homes, or do not want to own or maintain a solar array.”

This community solar plant required no upfront costs to United. However, energy produced by the facility will be sold under a power purchase agreement from DEPCOM to United. As an electric distribution cooperative serving 83,000 meters in 14 north Texas counties, United does not generate electricity, but delivers power to member homes and businesses over 11,000 miles of line. The solar power plant is scheduled to achieve commercial operation by the end of 2017 and will generate clean energy to help bring affordably priced solar power to thousands of United residential members. The facility will cover 58 of the 105-acre site.

“Having always been committed to bringing innovative energy solutions to our membership that align with our mission of delivering exceptional service and value, this community solar facility will give our members access to cost-effective and reliable solar power,” Smallwood said.

Key details for this community solar project include:

• Facility capacity of 9.9 MW (AC)
• 55 local jobs created with an emphasis on hiring military veterans
• 553 rows of tracking solar panels to obtain optimal facility energy output
• 44,340 solar panels with wattages of 320w and 325w per panel

Currently, United is developing the community solar program that will be offered to members and allow members to purchase energy from the system with an availability to occur in the first quarter of 2018.

About United Cooperative Services: 

Established in 1938 and headquartered in Cleburne, Texas, United Cooperative Services is an electric distribution cooperative serving 83,000 meters and more than 57,000 members.  United plays a key role in the economic development of its communities and unlike a private utility, the cooperative is a not-for-profit business owned by the members it serves.  Maintaining more than 11,000 miles of energized line, United serves all or parts of Johnson, Erath, Hood, Bosque, Somervell, Palo Pinto, Coryell, Eastland, Comanche, Stephens, Young, Hamilton, Tarrant and Ellis counties.

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June 5, 2017

UCS Offers $2,500 Reward for Information Leading to Arrest

Perpetrators shoot electric company’s equipment, causing outage and unnecessary expense.

Stephenville, TX – United Cooperative Services (United) announced today that it is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator(s) who fired gunshots that caused extensive damage last week to its infrastructure on F.M. 219 and C.R. 420 in Huckabay.

“Our members, both residential and those with businesses served by our electric distribution facilities, depend on having electricity for sustenance of life and economy,” said United CEO Cameron Smallwood. “We are committed to taking aggressive action against anyone who wishes to destroy our equipment that prevents us from delivering safe, reliable and affordable service to our members."

United supports local law enforcement authorities investigating the crime, which caused a day-long outage to one member. With this reward, the cooperative hopes to bring the perpetrator(s) to justice.

The damaged equipment has a value of more than $60,000. However, and more importantly, damaging high-voltage equipment can cause serious injury or death to the perpetrators or innocent bystanders.

“We intend to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law and bring this evildoer or these evildoers to justice,” Smallwood said. “We have earmarked $2,500 to reward anyone who has information that would help us get these people off the streets. Anyone who knows anything about this crime, please contact the cooperative or local law enforcement."

About United Cooperative Services: 

Established in 1938 and headquartered in Cleburne, Texas, United Cooperative Services is an electric distribution cooperative serving more than 81,000 meters and nearly 60,000 members.  United plays a key role in the economic development of its communities and unlike a private utility, the cooperative is a not-for-profit business owned by the members it serves.  Maintaining more than 11,000 miles of energized line, United serves parts of Johnson, Erath, Hood, Bosque, Somervell, Palo Pinto, Coryell, Eastland, Comanche, Stephens, Young, Hamilton, Tarrant and Ellis counties.

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